“Malaria parasites are ecologically in a similar position to those herbivores,” said Andrea Graham, one of the researchers from Princeton University. “They’re depending on resources below them on the food chain – for herbivores it’s the greenery, for malaria parasites it’s the red blood cells – and then all of them are subject to predation from above. For herbivores it’s predators like lions, for parasites it’s the immune system.”

Likewise, worms are in the same position in the food chain where they are at risk from immunological predators, and hookworms eat red blood cells. The hookworms surpass one species of malaria, Plasmodium vivax, while P. falciparum, the other species of malaria can beat hookworms, particularly when they are newly infecting a previously dewormed person. Moreover, the researchers found that when hookworms reduce the number of red blood cells, the vivax does not have enough to replicate as rapidly, as the malaria species is pickier in which red blood cells it can use. However, the falciparum can find enough red blood cells to replicate, as it can use any red blood cell around.

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“So the worms slow down the vivax because it’s a really finicky eater, whereas the falciparum, which will eat anything, outcompetes the worms,” explained Sarah Budischak, the first author of the paper.

“If you mass administer deworming pills, you risk making individuals who have vivax malaria hiding in their blood cells sicker — and you also might make the mosquitoes more likely to pick up malaria and pass it on from those individuals,” said Graham.

More on malaria

Malaria is a disease that is caused by a parasite, which is transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes, and is common in tropical areas. A mosquito gets infected by feeding on a person who has malaria. Then, if this mosquito bites another person, it can transmit malaria parasites. The parasites will then travel to the liver, where some types can remain dormant up to one year. Matured parasites will then leave the liver and infect the red blood cells, which causes malaria symptoms. People can also get infected by malaria by getting exposed to infected blood. Signs and symptoms of malaria include recurrent attacks of moderate to severe shaking chills, high fever, and sweating. An infected person may also experience other signs and symptoms such as headache, vomiting, and diarrhea.

If you’d like to read more news stories and studies on infections, you may go to Outbreak.news.